October 4th, 2016 at 8:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson
We’re a quarter of the way through the regular season, and clubs are constantly updating their emergency lists of players. Let’s take a look at the latest reported auditions and visits, which we’ve divided by conference due to today’s sheer volume:
AFC
The Raiders took a look at linebackers Danny Lansanah and Tyrell Adams, according to Caplan (Twitter link). Oakland eventually settled on Perry Riley as its new linebacker.
Before he signed with the Browns’ practice squad, offensive lineman Mike Liedtke worked out for the Ravens and was scheduled to audition for the Jaguars, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). Baltimore also tried out veteran safety Shamiel Gary today, per Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Gary has also been linked to the Giants in recent days.
Former Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum, former Tampa Bay wide receiver Kenny Bell, and long snapper Jon Akemon all worked out with the Chiefs today, according to NFL Draft Diamonds (on Twitter).
The Falcons auditioned linebacker Jayson DiManche, kicker Mike Meyer, and punter Michael Palardy, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Palardy, for his part, ended up signing with Atlanta’s practice squad, which could be an indication that active roster punter Matt Bosher is banged up.
Perhaps bracing for a Lane Johnson suspension, the Eagles today worked out former Washington offensive lineman Josh LeRibeus, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. LeRibeus started 11 games for the Redskins in 2015, but still couldn’t make it past final cutdowns. Philadelphia also looked at guard Matt Rotheram and tackle Pearce Slater, per Balzer (Twitter link).
The Lions worked out offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds and DL/T Brian Mihalik today, per Caplan (Twitter link).
Tight ends Rory Anderson, Joel Ruiz, and De’Runnya Wilson all worked out for the Bears today, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
In addition to defensive end Sterling Bailey, whom the Seahawks signed to their practice squad, Seattle tried out defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, linebacker Deion Barnes, and defensive tackle Greg Milhouse, reports Balzer (Twitter link).
The Bills worked out quarterback Josh Woodrum, tight end Paul Lang, wide receiver Corey Washington, tackle Clay DeBord, guard Chase Farris, and guard Donovan Williams, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets.
Like the Eagles, the Buccaneers also worked out tight end Rory Anderson, according to Caplan (Twitter link).
The Panthers auditioned former Falcons third-round pick Dezmen Southward, tweets Caplan. After signing fellow safety Michael Griffin, however, Carolina will presumably pass on Southward.
The Chiefs took a look at offensive tackle Jesse Davis, reports Balzer (Twitter link).
September 19th, 2016 at 5:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
There could be a second Gronkowski on the Patriots’ roster soon. The club worked out free agent fullback Glenn Gronkowski, brother of superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski, on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports (Twitter link). As of now, there’s no indication the team plans to sign “Baby Gronk.”
The younger Gronkowski signed with the AFC East rival Bills this year as an undrafted free agent from Kansas State and cracked their Week 1 roster, but the team cut him after its opening loss to the Ravens.
Joining Gronkowski in auditioning for New England were seven other free agents, per Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link) : running back Storm Johnson; tight ends Rory Anderson and Austin Traylor; defensive tackles Brandin Bryant and Trevon Coley; and defensive backs Jamell Fleming and Doran Grant. Of that septet, only Johnson, Fleming and Grant have seen NFL action. Fleming easily possesses the most experience, having appeared in 46 regular-season games with the Cardinals, Jaguars and Chiefs from 2012-15. Fleming, on whom Arizona once used a third-round pick, appeared in all Kansas City’s games last year, though he didn’t play a significant role with the team.
Notably, no quarterbacks tried out for the Patriots on Monday. With Jimmy Garoppolo hurt and third-round rookie Jacoby Brissett set to start, wide receiver Julian Edelman – a former high school and college quarterback – could be the Pats’ backup Thursday against Houston. Earlier Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that New England wasn’t planning on signing any signal-callers before its tilt with the Texans, who are also 2-0.
September 5th, 2016 at 6:17pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
The latest workouts from around the NFL:
Quarterback David Fales visited the Ravens on Monday, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Jamison Hensley). Fales spent the first two years of his career in Chicago after it selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. The former San Jose State signal-caller worked under then-head coach Marc Trestman as a rookie. Trestman is now the Ravens’ offensive coordinator.
The Lions tried out tight ends Nic Jacobs and Marcel Johnson on Monday, per Yates. Both Jacobs and Jensen were previously with Jacksonville. They have four career catches between them.
The Chiefs auditioned cornerback Robertson Daniel on Monday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Daniel, a former BYU Cougar, has spent time with Oakland and Green Bay since going undrafted last year.
The Bills tried out tight end Rory “Busta” Anderson, a source told Yates. Anderson was a seventh-round pick of the 49ers last year. He didn’t see any game action as a rookie.
Linebacker Luke Rhodes has a Tuesday workout with the Jaguars, according to Draft Diamonds (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times). Rhodes went undrafted out of William & Mary before hooking on with the Buccaneers, who waived him Friday.
The Packers took a look at tight end Steven Scheu, relays Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Patriots cut Scheu, undrafted from Vanderbilt, in camp.
August 28th, 2016 at 3:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson
The 49ers have released offensive tackle Erik Pears and waived tight end Rory Anderson, the club announced today. As such, San Francisco’s roster now sits at 77 players, meaning it will need to cut two more players to be in roster compliance by Tuesday’s 3pm CT deadline.
Pears, 34, started all 16 games for the 49ers last season after agreeing to a two-year $4.7MM deal that included $1MM in guarantees. While his availability is to be lauded, Pears graded among the league’s worst offensive lineman, according to Pro Football Focus, struggling in both the run and pass game in his more than 1,000 snaps. San Francisco will incur $250K in dead money as a result of Pears’ release.
With Pears out of the picture, the 49ers are looking for a swing tackle, a role that the recently un-retired Anthony Davis could fill, as Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets. While Davis is expected to start at guard, he could potentially move out to tackle if the Niners were to suffer an injury on the outside. In addition to starters Joe Staley and Trent Brown, San Francisco also has Alex Balducci, Colin Kelly, Fahn Cooper, Norman Price, and Josh Theus capable of playing tackle.
Anderson, 23, was selected in the seventh round out of South Carolina in the 2015 draft. He never played a snap during his rookie season, as he spent the entire year on injured reserve.
Linebacker Ahmad Brooks, facing a sexual battery charge, remains on the 49ers’ roster following the team’s cuts today. As Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets, general manager Trent Baalke issued a statement saying that the club is continuing to let the legal process under the league’s personal conduct policy. According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link), the NFL has announced it has no basis for placing Brooks on the commissioner’s exempt list for now.
After announcing six cuts yesterday and then acquiring center Nick Easton from the Ravens today, the 49ers required 17 roster moves to get down to 53 players. The most notable among those 17 transactions might have been the decision to place running back Kendall Hunter on injured reserve for the second straight year. Here are the rest of the Niners’ moves, via a press release:
Cut:
WR DiAndre Campbell
CB Marcus Cromartie
G/C Dillon Farrell
RB Kendall Gaskins
TE Xavier Grimble
CB Leon McFadden
LB Nick Moody
DT Kaleb Ramsey
OL Justin Renfrow
DL Marcus Rush
NT Garrison Smith
QB Dylan Thompson
G Andrew Tiller
S Jermaine Whitehead
Placed on injured reserve:
TE Rory Anderson
RB Kendall Hunter
Reserve/suspended:
WR Jerome Simpson
Additionally, the 49ers made a move with a player who had been removed from their active roster already, reaching an injury settlement with linebacker Desmond Bishop, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitterlinks). Bishop, who had been on San Francisco’s injured reserve list, is now a free agent and is healthy enough to contribute right away if he finds a new team.